Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Discoveries of the week #28

Marine tardigrades of the family Halechiniscidae (Heterotardigrada: Arthrotardigrada) are reported from Oura Bay, Okinawajima, one of the Ryukyu Islands, Japan, including Dipodarctus sp., Florarctus wunai sp. n., Halechiniscus churakaagii sp. n., Halechiniscus yanakaagii sp. n. and Styraconyx sp. The attributes distinguishing Florarctus wunai sp. n. from its congeners is a combination of two characters, the smooth dorsal cuticle and two small projections of the caudal alae caestus. Halechiniscus churakaagii sp. n. is differentiated from its congeners by the combination of two characters, the robust cephalic cirrophores and the scapular processes with flat oval tips, while Halechiniscus yanakaagii sp. n. can be identified by the laterally protruded arched double processes with acute tips situated dorsally at the level of leg I. A list of marine tardigrades reported from the Ryukyu Islands is provided.

Three new species for one of favorites when it comes to phyla - the tardigrades or perhaps better known as water bears. Unfortunately, this paper comes with a bad after taste. The first species is named for the Ryukyuan word for “sister” referring to the new species as a sister species of another one in the same genus. The second one got its name churakaagii from the Ryukyuan word for “beautiful woman” referring to its well-defined cephalic morphology. So far so good. However, the specific epithet of number three is derived from the Ryukyuan word for “ugly woman” referring to the dirty appearance of the holotype. What? There are endless possibilities out there when it comes to species names. I don't see any reason to choose one that insults women. This is unacceptable. I wonder why no reviewer or editor caught that. 
no DNA Barcodes


A new genus Sumatrella gen. n. is described and illustrated based on the new species Sumatrella chelonica sp. n. collected in Sumatra, Indonesia. The new genus belongs to the family Oplitidae based on its hypertrichous internal malae and the absence of strongly sclerotized structures on the dorsal shield. The new genus is closely related to the genus Chelonuropoda Sellnick, 1954 but the transverse furrow on ventral idiosoma close to coxae IV and the strongly sclerotized C-shaped dorsal line are missing in the new genus. These characters can be found in species of Chelonuropoda.

This is a new species of a new genus of soil mites. The genus is named after the island where the specimens were collected. The species name refers to the raised shape of the mite's body which is reminiscent of a turtle.
no DNA Barcodes



In this paper we describe two species of the cosmopolitan sponge genus Haliclona from Rio de Janeiro State, SE Brazil, one of which is new to science and the other a new record to Brazil. Haliclona (Rhizoniera) fugidia sp. nov. is brownishpink, salmon or cream, thickly encrusting, without oscular tubes and tangential ectosomal reticulation. Choanosomal skeleton is a mostly unispicular ladder-like reticulation of oxeas, very organized near the sponge surface and denser and more disorganized in the interior of the sponge. Haliclona (Halichoclona) vansoesti de Weerdt et al., 1999 was originally described from the Caribbean. It has a very loose connection between ectosome and choanosome, a whitish translucent ectosome combined with a purplish choanosome, a cavernous structure and a friable or crispy consistency. The conspecificity of SE Brazilian and Caribbean populations of H. (Halich.) vansoesti was verified through phylogenetic analysis of small subunit 18S rRNA (18S) and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequences. A maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree constructed with 18S sequences indicates that specimens of H. (Halich.) vansoesti from Rio de Janeiro were phylogenetically closer to the same species from the Caribbean than to other species of Haliclona. Although not available for H. (Halich.) vansoesti from the Caribbean, COI sequences of our specimens were also quite distinct from those of other Haliclona species. Molecular identification based on DNA sequences is a useful complement to traditional morphology-based taxonomy, especially in highly plastic sponges such as Haliclona spp. and other haplosclerids.

This rare, new sponge species was named after the Latin word fugitīvu, meaning "fugitive", "elusive", due to the great difficulty in finding the species in the field.
no DNA Barcodes (but almost, the authors state that the DNA in their sample was too degraded to retrieve sequences)


A new lappet moth, Poecilocampa deqina sp. n., from southwest China is described. Previously the genus Poecilocampa Stephens included three species (Poecilocampa tenera O. Bang-Haas, 1927, Poecilocampa nilsinjaevi Zolotuhin, 2005 and Poecilocampa morandinii Zolotuhin & Saldaitis, 2010) from China territory. The new species differs in appearance, genitalia and DNA from its closest congener, P. morandinii. 

Very brief (short and sweet) description of a new moth species found in Deqin, China, hence the species name.
DNA Barcodes available (well, sort of, the authors state there are barcodes on BOLD  but I couldn't find them)


Two new species of bryozoans encrusting subtidal rocks are described from the shallow waters of Madeira Island. We describe one cyclostome, Favosipora purpurea sp. nov., which represents the first record of this genus in the Atlantic Ocean, and one cheilostome, Rhynchozoon papuliferum sp. nov. In addition, one species, Beania maxilladentata, is recorded for the first time outside of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Six other species previously recorded in Madeira are redescribed to provide new data and SEM images. 

Two new species of bryozoans collected on rocks from a small islet located on the south coast of Madeira. One species name alludes to the purple colour of the specimens to some papilliform morphological features.
no DNA Barcodes

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